Do young people have more TSX? 2015 summary statistics
It’s a burning question. Aren’t they too young for TSX? Am I too old? Will there be others my age? Will I fit in? Read on for a few summary statistics from our summer 2015 treks around age, gender and geography.
It’s a burning question.  Aren’t they too young for TSX?  Will there be others my age?  Will I fit in?  After each season we review and look back to assess what worked, what can be improved, and what we should change for future Trans-Sierra Xtreme Challenge treks to Mt. Whitney. As part of that process, we also look at each person individually to try and better understand who participated on our treks.
We now have answers, with numbers. Here are a few summary statistics from our summer 2015 treks around age, gender and geography.
Age: Age is irrelevant
This year truly was a season for all ages. Over the course of five trans-Sierra treks from late July through early September 2015, we had participants ranging from age 12 to 73 years in age. While certain trips skewed slightly older or younger, over the course of the season the distribution was generally well dispersed – 25% of participants were between age 12 and 33, 25% between 33 and 45, 25% between 46 and 51, and 25% between 52 and 73. The median age was 45.
Having treks with participants that span generations is somewhat unique to TSX. The feedback we receive is that the diversity adds a lot of value to the experience. There’s an exchange of value that takes place as participants from different generations motivate, inspire, and help one another overcome challenges on a daily basis.
Gender: Women are up to the challenge
Not surprisingly, women love a challenge and the remote, tranquil terrain of the Sierra backcountry. Roughly 53% of our participants this summer were female, while 47% were male.
Geography: Expanding our horizons
When we first launched TSX, most of our first participants were from the Fresno/Clovis area of California’s Central Valley.  TSX co-founders Mike Murphy and Chris Casado were both from Clovis, and Mike had a long history of leading inspirational trans-Sierra treks within the local community. Slowly, our reach expanded to include the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.
This past year was our most diverse season to date, with participants joining us from California, New York, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Hawaii, Washington, Texas and North Carolina.
In summary it was a diverse and rewarding summer. We’re excited to see what 2016 has in store!
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